Free Spirits

For the longest time, I thought my new neighbours were vampires. Not really, of course, but it was clever answer to the question as to why they only seemed to come out at night.

They were nice enough people. At least the mother was, on her infrequent visits to our house. I didn't meet the daughters until later. There was a bear, you see. A black bear, that took to prowling over our properties. The area we lived in was mostly wooded, but urban expansion threatened us on all sides, forcing a sort of exodus of friendly woodland creatures. I've never even seen a bear before the big bastard wandered along the edge of our pool, not even giving me the courtesy of a glance as I nearly ruined my pants. He could have growled or something. The bear brought us together, brought the mother over to talk. Was it dangerous, should we phone someone, what kind of bear was it? Bear talk.

The mother was a foster mother, which I suppose would make her kids foster kids. They were also foster parents to foster cats and foster dogs. I don't think there was a foster dad, at least not any more. I didn't ask, I just stayed in earshot as the foster mother had a sit down cup of coffee with my real mother. The kids, three girls, were grown now, but previously home schooled, all about the same age. The mother worked despite the kingly cheque she must be receiving every month for sheltering three kids as she did. You'd think home school graduates in the summer, left alone all day, would find some way of amusing themselves outdoors. But no, as I said, I figured they were vampires. The dogs sure made a ruckus during the day, and managed to wiggle their way through the hedges, bushes and trees that separated our two properties, bounding about all over my yard. I considered calling them to complain, but the lawn was looking a little limp and it needed the fertilizer.

I'm a bit of a night owl myself. I do my best thinking after the rest of the world has gone to sleep. Usually I waste that time watching cheap late-night TV instead, but should I be inclined to think, it would be best late at night.

It was during one of these late nights that I caught a glimpse of something bright, way out back, past the pond and bush. At first I thought it was just a reflection off the window from the TV, but it still flickered now and then out of the corner of my eye. It was a dry summer, and fearing fire, I sprang into action and turned off the TV, and then the lights, staring at it from the safety of my own house. Definitely fire. Two of them now, little fires, just peeking through the bush on my neighbour's side.

I'm not sure how I figured a fire would spontaneously start in the middle of the night, since usually it's things like the sun that start them, but I felt awfully brave bundling myself in my coat and shoes and walking out across the lawn, just to be sure. I didn't even wake my parents, I was so brave. I felt a little less brave about half way there, with my feet feeling a little damp from the dew soaking my shoes, the cold starting to chill my cheeks and that horrible forest-calm pressing around me. There could even be bears about, waiting for me to trip over a gopher hole so they could roar out from the black and tear me asunder. It was the sound of voices that steeled me. Girl voices, low and giggly.

I slowed a little, and stepped around the sticks and leaves on the grass, to avoid any unseemly noises. I was a lot less lithe as I tried to make my way through the brush barrier between me and the mysterious fires. I tried several spots, but was stopped on all accounts by impassible obstacles like prickly bushes and spider webs. I eventually had to swing around and approach their yard from the back, crossing over the property line where the barrier was thinner, and then making my way back, all stealthy-like.

The fires, as I had now supposed, were harmless. Twin campfires built in pits in the ground and ringed in stones and broken brick. Lengthwise between them was a giant picnic table, the kind with the benches built right on either side. Dotting the table and benches were dozens of candles which were too faint to be seen from afar, but now twinkled like stars in the dark. The air was heavy with smoke and what smelled like incense. I breathed shallowly to avoid coughing on the thick scent.

The really interesting parts, however, were the three girls sitting on the benches, two facing away from me and the other facing, but still not seeing, me. I lifted myself up onto a dead stump to clear some of the branches in my way for a better look.

There was a stack of books on the table as well, and each girl had their own. Over the crackling of the fire I couldn't make out what they were saying, excepting that it must have been amusing because they seemed all in good spirits, giggling away.

In this light, bathed in the shifting warmth of the fires, I could see the two facing away from me were blondes, while the one facing was dark haired. Quite pretty as well, maybe a couple of years younger than I was. They were all wearing bathrobes, or what I thought were bathrobes. Maybe they were kimonos? I have no idea. Robes and sandals anyway, strange fair for a cold night like this. I guess that's why they needed two fires. I watched them awhile, my legs starting to cramp up from my awkward position on the dead stump. Since I couldn't even eavesdrop properly, and since my clothes were damp from all my scrambling about and getting colder with the night, I decided to end my little voyeuristic adventure and head home. Crises averted, no forest fires, no need to panic.

Then I promptly slipped on the damp wood and tumbled to the ground with quite the cascade of broken branches and flattened bushes. To their credit, the girls didn't scream very loudly, even as I thrashed my way out of the tangle of brush. Finally free and panting, I saw all three of them on their feet. The dark haired one and one blonde had dropped their books on the ground, while the third had hers raised like a club, ready to beat me like a baby seal. I straightened and said the only thing I felt would be rational at the time.

"Howdy neighbours."

The pause went on and on. And on and on. And on, until the dark haired girl's eyes went even wider.

"It worked!" she said, and the other two looked at her with the same expression I did.

Then followed some general confusion. The one girl kept brandishing her book, the dark haired girl sat down and seemed suddenly quiet, while the bookless blonde took the lead in the interrogation. Mostly "what the hell" followed up with "calling the police". I considered just running, but I'd probably end up tangling myself up inescapably in the bush and have to awkwardly hang there while the police took their time helping me out.

Finally the adrenaline seemed to abate and everyone was breathing more normally, with less hushed shouting and more hushed talking. I'm not even sure why we were all whispering, but I just followed their lead.

Then I noticed I was bleeding. I turned my hand towards the fire and saw a thin trickle of blood running down my thumb.

"You're hurt!" said the dark haired one, suddenly looking up from the bench. The blonde ones just pulled their robes around themselves tighter.

"Apparently," I said, mesmerized at how black the blood looked under the moon.

"Let me see," she said. And then I walked towards the table and sat across from her, avoiding the eyes of the other two.

She was even prettier close up, with fair skin reddened slightly by the cold, but warmed in colour by the fires flanking us and the dozens of candles dotting the table. She had a soft, round, kind face. Definitely the youngest of the three. Her robe was the same as the others, black slashed with red highlights and trim. It seemed like a fairly thin material up close.

I stretched out my hand across the table and she took it in hers. Her hands were cold and delicate as they turned mine over.

"It's just a splinter," she said, not looking at me. "This might sting a little."

I turned my head as she pulled something the size of half a dime from under my finger nail. The books on the table, as I read them in that brief flash of relief and horror, all seemed to have either "Wicca" or "Occult" in the title. Lovely. A coven of witches in my own backyard? Glory be.

The other two eventually sat down as I stuck my bleeding thumb in my mouth. There wasn't enough room between the candles for both of them to sit on the other girl's side, so one had to sit next to me.

They, too, were quite pretty. The talkative one was about my age, while the book-wielder was a little older. I thought at first they might have been sisters, but up close they were clearly unrelated. The older one was probably a natural blonde. With her hair up in a pony tail, I could see the hairline along her forehead clearly. Blonde to the root. The younger one had her hair worn down, straight and to the shoulder. There was a shock of darker hair at her part. Time for a touch up, I guess.

I broke the awkward silence by gesturing with my wounded hand towards the books.

"So... witches, eh?"

The dark haired one giggled, but the other two rolled their eyes.

"No," the natural blonde said at the same time the dyed blonde said, "Not yet".

"I see," I said. "Do any of you have names?"

They glanced at each other a moment, before the dark haired one spoke up, clearly delighted.

"I'm Raven."

"That's not your real name," I said.

"It is tonight," she said.

The other two smiled.

"Deirdre," said the dyed blonde.

"Kayley," said the natural blonde.

I stared at them a moment and wondered if they were making fun of me.

"Do I get to make up a name too?" I asked.

"Sure," said Raven. "Or we can give you one."

I figured naming myself Steels Powermuscle wouldn't really be appreciated so I shrugged.

"Go for it," I said.

"How about Anyon?" said Kayley. I turned to her.

"Does it mean anything?"

"I don't know," she said. I think she was lying.

"Good enough for me."

Another awkward pause. Deirdre got up to add more logs to the fires, and Kayley took her cue and excused herself to look for her matches to relight some of the candles that had blown out. I noticed the heap of clothes, regular clothes, and shoes and backpacks just then as Kayley rummaged through it, off to the side on a plank of wood, keeping it dry from the grass. I looked back at Raven, who remained seated across from me.

"So," I said. "Sacrifice anything lately?"

She rolled her eyes at me. She was cute when she did that.

"Actually," said Deirdre as she sat down next to Raven. "We were sort of in the process when you stumbled in."

"Oh?" I said. "I see no livestock handy."

"Don't be ignorant," said Raven. "Sacrifice means a lot of things."

"I apologize, then," I said. "What, pray tell, were you planning on sacrificing?"

"Well," said Kayley as she sat down next to me. She had out a lit match in one hand and leaned across the table to relight a candle. A breeze ruffled her robe and she pulled it tighter with the other hand. "Since you must know, we were sacrificing Raven's virginity."

"KAYLEY," gasped Raven. She looked positively mortified. I don't know what I looked like, but I'm sure it wasn't flattering.

"I'm not even going to guess how that works," I said.

"Don't look so squeamish," said Deirdre. "Sex is a very spiritual thing, and can serve many purposes other than personal pleasure. By offering Raven's virginity through ritual, she can achieve both womanhood and a higher understanding of her spirit in one act."

"Forgive me for being so bold," I said. "But I'm guessing you three have a lot of spare time."

Deirdre and Kayley looked at each other. Raven was staring intently into her lap.

"And again, you must forgive me," I said. "But aren't you lacking a, uh, integral part in your plan?"

"Well," said Deirdre. "That depends on you."

She smiled at me for the first time. She was really quite beautiful when she smiled.

"I'm pretty sure I ought to be heading home," I said, suddenly uncomfortable and apparently insane for passing up what was actually a very nice opportunity, and started to stand up.

"Wait, hold on," said Kayley. Her warm hand lightly grabbed my wrist. I slowly eased back down on to the bench. "I don't want to pressure you, but I don't think any of this was a mistake. Raven was right, it worked."

"Worked?" I said.

"You're right, we were kind of missing a big piece of the puzzle here. That's why we decided to summon one, so to speak. And here you are."

"I wasn't, uh, summoned. I was watching TV," I said.

"And yet here you are." Her hand was still on my wrist.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," I said. Raven still hadn't looked up. "She doesn't look too happy," I said, nodding towards her.

"No, no," Raven said. "I'm sorry, I was just a little embarrassed."

She lifted her head and her eyes met mine. She had gorgeous brown eyes.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Raven," said Kayley. "This is what we were hoping for."

"Look," I said. "I don't want anyone to get into anything they're going to regret tomorrow."

I started to rise out of my seat again, when Raven suddenly stood.

"Please, don't go," she said.

I froze in a half-seated position.

"Please?" she said. That was all it took. I looked at all three of their faces and then just sighed and nodded.

Deirdre and Kayley nodded to each other.

"Stay here," Kayley whispered into my ear, and then, very spryly, skipped over to the pile of backpacks and clothes. Deirdre followed her over as they began to rummage. I heard the clinking of bottles.

I looked across the table at Raven. Her hands were still folded in her lap and she glanced up at me, smiling that awkward, pretty smile. I tried to think of something to say, anything, but words escaped me. What could one say in this situation? Nothing that would, in retrospect, be clever or helpful. I decided just to shut up.

Deirdre and Kayley returned with bottles cradled in their arms. They laid them out in a particular row in the middle of the table, then Kayley took me by the hand and guided me to one side while Deirdre took Raven to the other.

"Here, sit," whispered Kayley, patting the edge of the table. I lifted myself onto it, legs dangling over. I heard bottles clinking behind me and turned to look, but she gently touched my face to stop me.

"No looking," she whispered. "Not until we say so."

I nodded. She walked out of my field of vision and then returned with a bottle in her hand. She placed it in my lap and directed me to hold it with one hand. It was very warm to the touch, heated by the fire I guess. Her gentle fingers pulled off my jacket and then lifted at my shirt and with my free hand I helped her take it off. The sudden rush of cold against my bare skin made me shiver suddenly, and I felt goose bumps raise over my entire upper body.

She took the bottle from me and unscrewed the cap, pouring a small amount of the liquid within into her free hand. It smelled strongly of a spice I've forgotten the name of. Then she started to gently massage the oil onto my chest. It didn't take long before I felt like my pants were about to burst at the seams, but she seemed to take no notice as she moved from one side of the table to the other, massaging the oil onto my arms, back and neck.

A trip to the centre then back brought a different bottle, equally strong and pleasant smelling, which she ran a bit of through my hair. The sensation was incredible, having the warm oil rubbed against my cold skin. The heat seemed to stick to me and warmed me better than my jacket did. Then again, the heat I was feeling might have been from having this beautiful blonde girl run her hands all over my torso, filling in all the spots, and maybe spending a few moments longer than necessary rubbing the oil into my nipples.

Then she was unlacing my shoes and stacking them neatly beside my shirt, next to all their clothes. Her thin robe was dotted with a bit of the oil. Her hands were at my belt next, slipping it out from my pants, leaving dark hand prints on my thigh where she touched me with wet hands.

"Here, help me," she whispered as she undid my zipper. I fumbled with my pants and then raised myself off the table so she could slip them off, then hooked my thumb into my boxers, but she stopped me with a touch and a gentle shake of her head.

"No," she said softly. "Not yet."

A third oil adorned my feet and legs, as she worked her way up, one leg at a time, up to my mid thigh where my boxers started. The tent I was pitching was epic, but she still paid no mind it. I heard soft voices and giggling and clinking bottles behind me, but I didn't look. I was too busy staring down at the beautiful girl at my feet, lovingly touching every inch of me.

The final trip to the centre of the table brought the final bottle of oil, the most aromatic one of them all. The spices in the air made it a little hard to breathe, and I was breathing pretty heavily at this point, my heart fluttering the whole time.

Kayley put the last bottle on the table beside me, and then her hands brushed up the sides of my thighs, touching the waist-band of my boxers.

"Ok, now," she said, smiling at me.

I again lifted myself up and she slid my boxers free. My long-sustained erection caught on the thin material of my boxers, but then sprang back with a little slap against my torso. Kayley seemed to pause a moment to take it in, then placed my boxers on top of the pile of my clothes.

She worked the final oil into my skin, starting at my legs where the boxers had covered, deftly moving her hands in small circles, sliding them upwards against my thighs, then reaching around me to massage it into my lower back and ass. As she reached around, she moved in between my legs, and the thin material of her robe fluttered casually against my balls. I had to resist wrapping my legs around her to lock her next to me, instead gripping the edge of the table even harder. She smelled incredible, though, so close and mingling with the oils.

Finally, she knelt down and poured a fresh handful, reached out and so gently started to massage my balls with one hand, while the other hand smoothed the oil all over my rock-hard erection and the surrounding area. I try to keep the whole area as neat and tidy as possible, and she seemed to take great interest in running her fingertips across my finely trimmed pubic hairs, and over the smoother areas I kept bare. With two hands now she worked steadily against my penis and testicles, rubbing more and more oil into them until I was dripping steadily down the edge of the table, the droplets splattering against her arms and robe. This oil was more slippery than the others, probably mixed with a lubricant, the way her hands slid easily up and down, up and down.

Seeing her there, kneeling between my legs and streaks of oil running down her arms, splattering over her robe, a bare leg peeking out and staring down into her beautiful cleavage as her robe seemed to gradually work its way loose, I finally had to put out a hand and grab hers.

"Enough," I whispered, breathing hard. "Leave some for Raven."

She smiled and gave me one last tug which very nearly put me over the edge. I had to bear down for a moment so I wouldn't lose it as she slid her hands off me and stood up. She walked out of my view and began speaking to the others. I barely heard what they said as I tried to slow my breathing and relax my body. I felt as though the slightest breeze could light the fuse and I wouldn't be able to stop it. I did hear the clink of glass as they moved all the bottles, and then the *fwoomf* of a blanket being snapped out. I felt the air moving against my back as they laid the blanket across the table, but I stayed true and did not look.